Morning Bird
by UtauTachi
Summary: Iruka always wakes up earlier before anyone else, yet one day Kakashi visits him in the morning. But a certain something has been on Kakashi's mind...


A request for my friend Nicole. I PUT A LOT OF EFFORT INTO THIS AND I'M SORRY IT DIDN'T COME OUT SO WELL...No, just kidding. I didn't put any effort into this piece of crap XD Enjoy

Iruka Umino was definitely a morning bird. He was up at five and at his desk in the academy at the break of dawn filing papers and grades, patiently waiting the arrival of his students approximately two hours later.

Why he was always up so early, and every single morning at that, he had no clue. Most likely though, it was just because he never had time to grade reports at night and found the morning much easier to work in. Or maybe it was because he never slept, and that was why he was constantly so happy-go-lucky. Either way, you could count on seeing him before morning.

One person you couldn't count on seeing, though, was Kakashi Hatake. If you ever saw him in the morning, it was because he didn't sleep the night before. It irritated his students beyond belief that they were expected to be at the training grounds, armed and ready two hours before HE came, completely unlike Iruka.

That was why it surprised Iruka so much that not only was Kakashi awake at 5:30 in the morning, he nearly jumped out of the desk at the sight of him in his classroom.

There was always this little spark Iruka felt at the sight of his distant friend. True, the two of them hardly saw each other- hell if Kakashi ever spoke to him for more than a few minutes- but that didn't keep him from feeling that warmth in his heart (FLUFFY FANFIC WARNING).

"K-Kakashi! What are you doing here-" he stammared.

"So early in the morning?" Kakashi interrupted. "I knew you were going to say that. Couldn't sleep last night. Something's been...bothering me."

"The question is, what are you doing HERE so early in the morning?" Iruka inquired a bit too forcefully. Kakashi stepped back a bit.

"What, am I not allowed to step in and say hi to a good friend of mine?"

Good friend? What good friend? He didn't mean...That little spark again. Iruka surpressed a smile. He thought of him as a good friend! ...Why did that mean so much to him?

"Sorry, you just don't usually show up here when I'm around. What's keeping you awake?"

"It's...it's nothing." Kakashi replied with an all-too-forced smile. Iruka knew he was lying and grinned playfully. "Oh, really?" he teased. "Then I guess you won't mind if I do...this!"

Iruka tackled him onto the ground, pinning the Jonin's arms above his head. How he found the strength to do so escaped him, but he was so in the moment that it didn't matter.

The true reason for it, though, was that Kakashi let it happen. Well, let might not be the right word. It simply caught him off guard so badly that he nearly forgot everything he'd known about ninja arts and had no idea what had just happened.

All he saw and knew was that Iruka, his long-time secret "crush" (he didn't like using such childish words, but that's what it was), was pinning him down and straddling him in only a long-sleeved shirt, his headband resting on his abandoned desk instead of his forehead, about to do God knows what to him.

He didn't know what Iruka was planning to do at all and guessed it was some sort of interrogation on what happened the night before. But that was far from it. Iruka did the unexpected. The certain thing that no ninja should ever try to do or even THINK about.

He TICKLED Kakashi.

It was indeed a strange sight, two adult men having some sort of tickle fight on the floor, and thank goodness no one was there to see it. It could be worse though. Kakashi could be completely vulnerable and giggling like a hyena.

No, wait...he already was.

"I-Irukahaha! Wha-What the hehehehell are you doing? Cut it out! Stahahahap! Hahahaha this i-isn't funny!"

Well, that's his opinion, Iruka thought to himself with a grin. Not even stopping to think that he might have and still is overstepping a few personal boundaries with the man he barely knew, he lifted said man's jacket and shirt up, revealing his toned, masculine figure. His fingers teasingly drifted across Kakashi's ribs before tickling him mercilessly, evoking full-out laughter from the rather embarrassed Jonin.

"HAHAHAHA KNOCK IT OHOHOFF! I-I CAHAHAN'T BREHEHEATHE! IRUKAHAHAHA!" he laughed, blushing madly. It wasn't often that he was in such a pitiful state in front of a colleague, and never in front of a colleague he loved.

"Are you going to tell me what happened?" Iruka asked, secretly hoping he wouldn't so he could continue.

"No." Kakashi answered simply. Back to the tickle fight they went. Kakashi struggled, as anyone would in such a predicament, but there was something that kept him from pushing Iruka away. There was something intoxicating about the younger male on top of him that prevented him from moving away.

"AHAHAHAHAHA S-STOP IT! I'M NOT TEHEHEHELLING YOU! IRUHUHUKAHAHAHA!" He couldn't breathe. He couldn't move. It was unbearable.

Iruka held him down and moved on to Kakashi's feet. "Don't you DARE." he growled threateningly. The little tickle fight had gone far enough- THAT certain place was unnacceptable. People who even thought about tickling Kakashi there usually ended up dead.

However, Iruka was about to. He hovered his fingers over Kakashi's small, unprotected soles. Just before he could make a move, though, Kakashi used all the strength he hadn't used previously to shove him off- underneathe him.

Now it was Iruka under the older Jonin, whimpering and struggling to get away. Kakashi's held onto him with such force though, it was almost like if he didn't Iruka would evaporate under his gloved fingertips, and he certainly didn't want that.

"Payback." Kakashi muttered, hiding a grin behind his mask. Suddenly, the room erupted with laughter as Iruka shrieked under the scribbling fingers of his older companion. He was a lot louder, and apparantly a lot more ticklish as well.

"KAKASHIHIHI! STAHAHAHAP I'M SOHOHORRY! HAHAHAHA PLEHEHEASE LET ME GOHOHO!" he begged through tears of laughter.

"I don't think so." Kakashi replied, enjoying every moment of Iruka's payback.

"HAHAHAHA I-I JUST WAHAHANTED TOHOHO MAHAHAHAKE YOU FEEHEEHEELL BETTER!"

He stopped. The classroom was quiet, despite Iruka's slight giggling and deep panting. It shouldn't have escalated this far. All the poor man wanted was to know what was wrong. But of course, Kakashi knew he couldn't tell him. For the problem was ABOUT how he felt about Iruka. He stayed up all night, wishing he didn't have to feel this way. Wishing he could just be normal, and have normal crushes on normal girls.

"Kakashi? Are you alright?" Iruka asked curiously, leaning close to the Jonin's side.

"Iruka...I-I feel strange when I see you sometimes," he stuttered. Wow. Stealthy. He pretty much expected the look of utter confusion on his partner's face.

"I-I mean, when I look at you, I have this...I get this feeling, like a-"

"Spark." Iruka finished for him, then covered his mouth. WHY did he have to say such a stupid thing? Of all the-

"Exactly." Kakashi replied with a relieved smile. Iruka stared back at him in shock. "What I'm trying to say is that I...want to be closer to you. I want to be more than just friends. I...love you, Iruka." he finally finished. It had taken him so long to get it off his chest, and there it was.

Now what?

Suddenly, he was nervous. His palms became sweaty, a blush spreading across his face (luckily hidden by his mask). What if his feelings weren't returned, and Iruka told everyone about his ridiculous love confession? No, he wouldn't. Would he...?

When Iruka began to say something, Kakashi jumped a little bit, but he eased himself back down. "What was that, Iruka?"

"I-I said I never thought I would hear you say that, Kakashi. I've always felt the same way about you. I think...I think I love you too." he murmured, trying to get the words out. It wasn't his long, rehearsed confession, but it came close enough.

There was a long silence, but it wasn't awkward or tense. It was more of a taking-it-all-in silence.

Finally, Kakashi pulled Iruka close and whispered in his ear, "Now that I've said this, I'll never be able to let you go."

"Please don't." Iruka replied with a soft, inaudible sigh. They stayed like that for a while, their presence to each other kindling the fire in their hearts. It was bliss. It was perfect. It was-

"What's going on, sensei?!" cried a young kid who'd just entered the room with a few others. The couple sprung up, speechless.

"I was just...My friend here was, uh, showing me something." Iruka stammared quickly. Kakashi flashed the students a nervous smile and turned to Iruka.

"I should stay up more often. Maybe we can 'get together' tomorrow morning."

"I'd like that." said Iruka with a grin. Kakashi smiled again, one of his rare, genuine smiled, and walked off.

"Iruka sensei, are you two ho...homo...homosey, uh, homosel, um..." a kid slurred, trying to find the right word.

"Their homosexual, dummy!" a girl shouted with a know-it-all attitude. Iruka stood there, staring, and then just laughed. He could yell at them later- This moment was perfect, and he intended to keep it that way.


End file.
